Gateways to Nowhere
by Choris Onyma
Summary: [OLD SHAME] Where does a gateway to nowhere lead? What do dark keyblades do in the hands of a Soul Reaper? Where does a hollow go that was swallowed by darkness...
1. Chapter 1 One Sky

Author's Note: I have only read the first 8 instalments of Bleach and I love it, this one is based before Rukia gets found out…

Disclaimer: Owning Kingdom Hearts or Bleach would be an amazing thing for me.

One Sky

"Did you seriously think that you could escape me, you ugly freak!" Ichigo yelled, red hair flying as he brought his Zenpakuto down on the Hollow's head, splitting the white mask under the weight of the blade with a thunderous crack. To Ichigo's utter horror, the hollow did not disappear, but began laughing, a sound like tearing metal, its body shaking convulsively as it did. "You have won this time, Soul Reaper. But I will be back…" The last words were a soft hiss as an otherworldly darkness swirled around it, engulfing it until the Hollow was out of sight, hidden by the seething mass of black. Then they were gone, both the Hollow and the darkness that seemed to have taken the Hollow to wherever it belonged. That was not this world, a world of Soul Reapers, ghosts and Hollows, but a world of many worlds, worlds with a secret heart of light, threatened by the ever present darkness that bound them. Ichigo shuddered, running a hand through the tangled flames of his hair as he nervously examined his shattered surroundings, many chips of cement and shards spread randomly throughout the empty, underground car park, still echoing with the harsh laughter of the Hollow, the dark, closely walled area trapping the sound. With one last scan around the now eerily quiet area he turned around to tell Rukia about the Hollow that claimed it would be back and was swallowed by the otherworldly darkness when another echo from nowhere filled the carpark:

_Thinking of you, wherever you are,_

_We pray for our sorrows to end and hope that our hearts will blend._

_Now I will step forward to realise this wish._

_And who knows? Maybe starting a new journey may not be so hard,_

_Or maybe it has already begun,_

_There are many worlds, but they share the same sky,_

_One sky_

_One destiny…_

At the sound Ichigo whirled around, Zenpakuto in hand, poised to strike at anyone or anything that looked even remotely like a Hollow and destroy it, but the echo vanished as rapidly and unexpectedly as It had come. As he thought about it he figured that the message wasn't threatening, but a desperate plea for help. With a shake of his head he turned once more to go home, the only echo now the echoing sound of his footsteps. But after he turned he failed to notice a boy, about his age, a black blindfold obscuring his striking turquoise eyes, his silver hair swaying slightly with the movement of stepping out of a portal of darkness that was now a gateway to a black abyss, the abyss left by a world that was swallowed by darkness. A portal that was now a gateway to nowhere. He sighed heavily, his hearts crying out for the world that was lost and his friends that he had no idea of what would become of them.

…/… …/…

When Ichigo finally emerged from the dank carpark he wasn't truly surprised to seeR ukia standing there waiting for him, with Kon , awaiting his return to his body. After his soul was reunited with its physical counterpart he and Rukia began the short walk home.

"There are many worlds, but they share the same sky, one sky, one destiny," Rukia whispered, her nervous voice a mirror of Ichigo's own thoughts, her face a dreamlike mask, seemingly unaware of the world around her.

Ichigo jumped, startled, and the sudden movement brought Rukia out of her daze, "Where did you hear that!" he asked, baffled, "Because after that freaky Hollow vanished through a portal of darkness I heard a strange echo, and those were the last words!"

An uneasy expression crossed Rukia's usually stoic face, worry evident in her eyes, "Really?" Rukia sighed and looked up at Ichigo, "I have had the same words bouncing around my mind ever sinceyou came out of that tunnel."

Loud rumbles from the leaden sky overhead brought their conversation to a halt as heavy, freezing drops began to pummel them from above, getting harder every second, forming a white curtain, shimmering droplets drenching them in seconds.

"Aww, crap, this is really going to ruin my day," Ichigo growled glumly, very unhappy aboutbeing soaked to the skin. As Rukia and Ichigo dashed to get out of the deluge that the sky decided to dump on them, as fast as they could, dark pursuers without hearts chased them, slinking from shadow to shadow, unknown to their quarry. And despite the rain streaking down his face and dripping through his silver hair, the boy walked after them, his key-like sword of darkness in hand as his footsteps made soft splashing sounds in the gathering puddles. Little did he know that far greater darkness awaited him where destiny was taking him…

HAH! Cliffhanger!


	2. Chapter 2 Fire and Ashes

A/N: Did you like the cliff-hanger on the previous chapter? If not don't worry, you probably thought my story sucked. If you did, the next chapter is already here! Stuff this I'm gonna write my fic now…

Disclaimer: If I really and truly owned anything that I'm writing about they would not be restricted to this site…

Chapter 2: Fire and Ashes…

Rain was seemingly pounding relentlessly on every outdoor surface it could find when an utterly miserable Ichigo stomped through the doorway, his hair looking like flames that should have been doused in the downpour. A grumpy look around revealed that no Hollows or other feral creatures had attacked his family, although if Kon wasn't in his body at the time he would have been glad if that perverted bear/lion thingy had been blown to bits or warped to an alternate dimension. Lingering aromas of hot delicious food, courtesy of Yuzu, wafted through the area, making Ichigo's stomach protest loudly, alerting Yuzu and Karin to his sorry presence. "Yay! He's back!" she yelled prancing around and nearly hugging Ichigo before she thought better of it because he was so wet. Karin sighed, her black hair blowing away from the slight breath, "Oh, joy, were letting in wet strays now?"

Ichigo turned his head just enough to throw a sharp glare her way before plopping down on a chair, miserable at being wet, but not bothered enough to go get dry. "Hmph," Karin turned away, looking outside at the rain, when she saw something that made her swallow her pride enough to talk to Ichigo, "Look outside, Rukia's out there and she's waving, and there's a boy out there…" She smirked at the end of the sentence, knowing that Ichigo would have to go out in the rain again, making her feel a bit better about speaking to Ichigo. Ichigo snapped out of her self-pity, whirling in shock at having Karin talk to him again after how he looked at her, to where she was looking, and sure as hell outside in the watery deluge was the boy with silver hair, facing them, but the blindfold he wore prevented him from knowing exactly where the boy was actually looking, and Rukia stood behind him, wearing her glove just in case this was emergency enough to force the boy's soul out of his body and for Ichigo to go Soul Reaper on him.

"You guys stay in here or I will personally beat you to a pulp and shove you in a cupboard with Kon!" Ichigo called to his sisters as he stalked back out the door, near permanent scowl in place. "Okay!" Ichigo snarled as he slammed the door shut behind him, "Who the hell are you and what the bloody hell are you doing here!"

The boy with silver hair didn't even flinch at the harshness in Ichigo's voice, just turned his head slowly and whispered, "I'm Riku, and I'm here because where I was no longer exists…" Riku turned away, his heart filled with the pain of losing a world to the darkness and still not knowing where his friends were, or even if they were still alive.

"Do you sense it too?" Rukia asked, seemingly overwhelmed by Riku's large amount of spirit energy, "He may even have more than you…"

Ichigo folded his arms in a stuck-up sort of way. "I don't sense anything," he said sarcastically, stubbornly ignoring the fact that a random stranger could have more powerful spirit energy than him. Rukia opened her mouth to make a snide remark about Ichigo's intelligence when a sharp beeping from her pager caught her off guard. Pulling it out of her pocket she rapidly evaluated the coordinates on the glowing screen, took note of the Hollow's location and ran, calling behind her for Ichigo to hurry up and follow her already and for Riku to stay, However, Riku just Ignored her and dashed after them saying, "I'm coming too, and you can't stop me!"

Rukia just sighed and objected, " You have no idea what we'll be facing, and even if the Hollow doesn't devour your soul, what use will you be against an adversary you can't even see?" hinting at the blindfold that hid his eyes from all.

"You're right, I have no idea what we'll be facing, but despite my lack of sight, I have never lost against anyone or anything, and be it Nobody, Heartless or otherwise, I will help you. With my life if need be," Riku panted, absolute transparent honesty evident on his face, as well as an unbreakable will that was the backbone of his stoic determination. Rukia looked at him and gave a solemn nod, and continued to run in the direction of the Hollow, despite being a little confused at the unfamiliar words he used, she figured that they were probably in some way similar to Hollows, in that the names he gave all seemed to have something vital missing.

.../… …/…

"HOLY BLOODY FREAKING SHIT!" yelled Ichigo when they arrived at where the Hollow was wreaking havoc on the unsuspecting citizens, "That's the same bloody Hollow I killed before!"

Rukia looked at him, a mixture of disbelief and worry swirling around in her heart, "Are you certain?" she asked apprehensively, "Because if it is, the Soul Society really, really, REALLY needs to know."

Ichigo looked again, it was definitely the same Hollow he defeated before, but it was… different somehow, like it had a whole new level of darkness and power after being spirited away by the shadows from another world. _Riku's world?_ Ichigo thought, not even knowing why that thought had even occurred to him.

"This thing is not going to hurt anyone else!" Riku said under his breath, "Too many worlds have been taken by the darkness for me to ignore what this monster is doing." His Keyblade that's power stemmed from darkness, Way to the Dawn, was in hand, ready to be used to slash the Hollow to shreds, and beyond. Rukia, now thankful that she had brought her glove, forced Ichigo's sol out of his body, and now ready to fight he slashed at the Hollow's head with his Zenpakuto, but his blows bounced of its head, painfully jarring his arm in the process. He screamed and aimed for other parts of its body, holding his sword in his other hand, but the same result ensued and fiery pain lanced up Ichigo's arm, leaving him open to attack by the seemingly invincible Hollow.

"I told you, Soul Reaper, and now I am back, to destroy you, you pathetic worm!" the Hollow screeched a sound that caused pain to all that could hear it. A massive talon slashed down, and Ichigo braced for the bone-shattering pain that he knew would come, but instead a sound like shattering glass coupled with a blaze of light seemingly halted the blow. When the light died down he saw Riku, arms folded in front of him like a shield and a shimmering barrier of transparent hexplates was what seemed to have defended them, although the force seemed to have knocked Riku back a couple of paces. Without warning Riku leapt into the air, a blazing aura of equal parts darkness and pure light surrounded him, the beautiful energy pulsing through his body like electricity. The Way to the Dawn began to glow an electric blue, the power streaming through his body flowing to a concentrated point on the blade and a flash that was both sheer darkness and absolute light at the same time raged around Riku as a concentrated slash of the force blitzed through the amazed Hollow before it screamed and vanished, no darkness claiming it this time, no shadows to save it's empty soul.

"Riku!" Ichigo shouted, rushing to him, the silver stands of Riku's hair blowing around like ashes scattered by the wind, "What the HELL did you save me like that for?"

Riku was on his knees, exhausted from the energy it took to shatter the Hollows defences, "I couldn't just stand by and see you get hurt… like that," he panted, "Saving you was the only true choice I had…"

A/N: Did you like? Anyways, even if you didn't, please review! Sorry if some stuff is a little off, I have only read the first 8 of the Bleach manga, minus number seven, so if you have any recommendations, they would be greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone could give me ideas on how to turn Riku into a Soul Reaper that would really be BRILLIANT!

-The Final


	3. Chapter 3 Of Those Without Hearts

A/N: I am going totally spaz on this right now; cuz I love all the stuff I'm writing about! I'm so bored I seriously can't be bothered to write a proper author's note.

Disclaimer: If I only just heard about Bleach so how the hell could I possibly own it? And if I owned Kingdom Hearts I would have clobbered that jackass Xigbar already.

Chapter 3: Of Those Without Hearts

Riku slumped and fell the rest of the way to the ground, unconscious, with a worried Ichigo standing over him, swearing vibrantly under his breath, about Riku saving him. "RUKIA!" Ichigo shouted to his close friend, "Can you get over here, like now? Riku really should not have done that for me, he nearly killed himself."

"Ichigo, if Riku was in your position and you in his, you would have done exactly the same thing," Rukia said calmly, approaching Riku's unconscious form, "And I think I may be able to do something for him, although, he must have done something really stupid and powerful for him to end up like this." Rukia knelt down beside Riku, assessing his not-so-good condition. "It's strange, that amount of spirit energy he released should have left him with nothing left, but instead I sense it's more powerful than before. It's like instead of drawing on his reserves, he draws power from friendship and the will to protect."

Ichigo shook his head nervously, _I feel so… helpless, not being able to do anything for him, when he saved my life. If Rukia can't do anything for him I'll have guilt issues for the rest of my life,_ thought Ichigo to himself, and began pacing uneasily, looking at Riku every now and again.

_15 minutes later…_

"We have to take him somewhere to get some rest, because I highly doubt that he will be waking up anytime soon," Rukia said, pity for Ichigo lacing her words. Ichigo craned his neck to get a look at Riku from behind Rukia, and was shocked to see him struggling to get to his feet, obviously very weak and exhausted, but determined to force himself up.

"Ouch," Riku said weakly, although a somewhat mischievous grin spread across his face, "That was not a very good idea. But I'm glad that… thing is gone." Riku shuffled a few steps forward, staggering, but somehow keeping himself upright, and held out his hand to Ichigo, palm up and said, "I know nothing about this world, and little more than that about you, but I get the feeling that we'll be in this together for a while."

For some reason, Ichigo felt like Riku was an old friend, someone to be trusted, "I suppose we are," he replied, taking his hand and nodding.

"Impossible," Rukia breathed, dumbstruck that Riku could have recovered that fast by himself, "He should not have been able to do that, especially after releasing all that energy like that. Who _is_ Riku?" Rukia had known that Ichigo had one of the most powerful souls she knew of but Riku may just rival him, his subconscious method of gaining power an interesting advantage. She turned to Riku, suddenly aware that he didn't even know their names, "I'm Rukia Kuchiki, and this is a Strawberry," she said to Riku, who had already figured out the first part.

"And that's… Ichigo?" Riku asked, working out that was the redhead's name, "What was that thing anyway?" Riku asked, "Because it's probably not a Heartless, although it did have that hole in its chest, and if was a Nobody, it's not like any Nobody I have had experience with."

It was Ichigo that answered the question, although, Rukia was more qualified, she let Ichigo talk, "That was a Hollow, a soul that has had a part of it torn out, in a way, they have an intense longing for what they've lost. Oh yeah, and an insatiable hunger for souls."

Riku figured that the Hollow was the most like a Heartless, in the way that it had an insatiable hunger. "So that's what Rukia was talking about when she mentioned devouring my soul," Riku said thoughtfully, remembering Rukia's warning about the Hollow. He shivered thoughts of what these things could do running around his mind. "Are all of them like that?" He asked, "All practically invincible and stuff?"

Rukia shook her head vigorously, getting out her really pathetic drawings naturally including the bunnies that she loved so much, "Hollows are no way that powerful all the time, if they were, this place would be a ghost town by now. Literally." She began to indicate at her terrible artwork, educating Riku about the Hollows and those that they hunted. "It is the job of Soul Reapers to ensure that the wholes," Rukia paused to point to a sorry image of a happy rabbit, "That are the normal spirits that are often known as ghosts, are sent to the Soul Society safely."

Riku nodded his head in understanding, next to Ichigo who was rolling his eyes, remembering when Rukia had first told him about this. _I was almost as clueless as Riku!_ He thought, shocked that he was ever that ignorant of the world he now took for granted. "Now there are other spirits, like the one we faced before, called Hollows. They are evil spirits that have one purpose to their existence: to devour souls, of the living or dead it matters not to them. That is where the second part of a Soul Reapers duty comes is. We have to kill Hollows in order to keep the world safe."

The rain that was still pouring from the sky had kept may safe from the Hollow, as many had remained inside to escape being drenched, but Ichigo couldn't help thinking, _What if Riku wasn't there to destroy the Hollow?_ The dark thought accompanied Ichigo throughout the rest of the day, through Riku's explanation of the beings he knew as Heartless, dark creatures without hearts and the Nobodies, the empty shell left behind when one with a strong heart loses that heart and becomes a Heartless. It even managed to invade his dreams, nightmare worlds teeming with Heartless and Nobodies. But the worst of all was the Hollow, its harsh grating laughter tormenting him in the one place that he could never escape.

_Ichigo looked around, but the darkness was everywhere, a thick blanket covering the seemingly barren landscape, the only break in the shadows the eerie glow from the heart-shaped moon hanging above. He started walking, figuring that there was nothing else he could do, and with every hesitant step his surroundings gained more form, more substance. Soon, the dark emptiness was replaced by a dark city, the somewhat dim neon lights creating flickering shadows, glinting of the rain that now seemed to be falling from nowhere, as there were no clouds in the black sky from which it could fall. Cautiously, he continued, but an unnerving feeling of being followed came from nowhere and the shadows of the night shifting and moving, without any other movement to cause the dimness to change. Eventually Ichigo reached a massive skyscraper, its glowing signs giving off little light to the dim square it was set in. A prickling at the back of his neck told him instinctively that he was being watched, but in the shadows of this murky world Ichigo could not see the black-cloaked figure leaning against a building in a patch of deep shadow, knowing it would hide him from the boy in the middle of the gloomy place. Several small points of yellow suddenly emerged from the fluctuating darkness, the shadows that made the rest of their bodies slowly detaching themselves from the dark grey surface of the ground, forming the dark creatures that Ichigo now knew to be Heartless. As if all the shadows had a life of their own the small, dim square was rapidly filled with the Heartless, but for some reason they didn't attack, like some other force beside their mindless instinct keeping them at bay. An unforgivingly harsh scraping sound alerted him to the approach of the Hollow, the neon light bouncing off its white mask, the shattered light creating half-formed rainbows in the rain. The mask it wore was identical to the Hollow he defeated before, except for the fact that it had four pulsing streaks of darkness adorning it. Ichigo was about to attempt to slash at the Hollow and Heartless with the Zenpakuto that he only just realised was in hand when a chuckling laugh brought his movements to a premature halt. It wasn't a cruel laugh, but more of a careless laid back chuckle. The black-cloaked figure stepped out of the shadow, shaking his hooded head, already aware that all other movement apart from his and Ichigos had been stopped._

"_Who are you!" Ichigo demanded, the first time he had actually spoken in this place of eternal twilight. The man just chuckled again and pulled back his hood to show Ichigo just who he was…_

A/N: Does anyone have any ideas on who I should make the guy in the black coat? If so please review! If not, review anyway! If you have identified where Ichigo is in his dream, then you are a true KH fan. If not I have but one thing to say… YOU NOOB! How could you not recognize the Dark City under the Castle that Never Was! I really hoped that my readers liked this…


	4. Ansem, Seeker of Darkness

A/N: Here it is! If you've been reading this fic and have been waiting weeks for the update, don't complain because it's here now and Mew X has been months, so think yourselves lucky. That matters not, because now it gets awesome! If you don't like Riku dying then you have my full permission to skip this chapter, but if you do you will miss an important segment of the story. Not my problem. Anyway, it's Bleach so death isn't really much. But I'm excited to finally write this chapter, I officially have a brilliant idea and this chapter will be the best yet! Enough of my pointless rambling! Hope this chapter is longer than my others…

Disclaimer! Why would I be posting my fic on this site if I owned either of the things I'm writing about.

Chapter 4: Emptiness of Death

"_I'm what's left. Or… maybe I'm all that ever was," The man replied, an unnervingly flat tone revealing nothing in his deep voice. Ichigo could see who the man was now, orange eyes glaring at him. The sort of glare that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, the sort of glare that made him shiver. In the sporadic light that gave everything an eerie, spectral quality the menacing black coat seemed positively frightening, like the stuff nightmares are made of._

"_I meant your name," Ichigo demanded, disguising his fear with anger, almost growling the words._

_This statement brought a hollow laugh from the man, his silver hair swaying slightly, remembering a moment when another had used those same words on a shadowed beach in the Realm of Darkness. Oh, the irony. "My name is of no importance."_

_This response just infuriated the redhead even more, readying his Zanpakuto, a fierce anger pulsing through him, an insane urge to kill the guy and be done with it nearly taking control. "Are you going to give me a straight answer or do I have to beat it out of you?" Ichigo snarled, assuming a battle stance. Another creepy laugh sounded through the smallish square, the evil now evident in the empty voice. "So, it seems you would hurt an innocent man that has done nothing to you just for answers. For one such as you I expected something better. More… noble. But, if it's a fight you're after, I am perfectly willing to oblige," Mr Of No Importance said, not even moving to show he was going to fight, but that meant this guy was so confident in his power he didn't have to prepare. Not a good sign for Ichigo. The sinister nature of this world was starting to affect his mind, unreasoned fear seeping into his very being. Despite the presence of the Zanpakuto that usually gave a sense of security, the shadows of himself grew into their own dark emotions a deep unease claiming the Soul Reaper. In a desperate attempt to rid himself of the fear he lunged recklessly at the man in black, speed in the attack that was easily dodged by Of No Importance. In response to the unplanned offensive the man almost lazily threw red blades of ethereal energy at Ichigo who was still recovering from his attack. "Hm, you must do better than that if you intend to defeat me… the great Superior of Organization XIII!"_

_Ichigo groaned in pain as the swords tore through clothing and skin alike, warm blood beginning to seep out of the gash left by the weapon. Ignoring the pain with fury he stood up to face his adversary, refusing to be beaten without landing a single hit on his elusive enemy. No way was this 'Superior' going to beat him to a pulp without a scratch to show for it. With an angry battle cry he slashed with more planning, the massive sword swinging in a graceful arc towards the Superior, nearly landing the hit. As the cutting-edge descended Ichigo heard the man utter a single word, "Guard!" and a shimmering transparent shield appeared, blocking the strike, although, the force of the blow shattered the barrier. The Superior didn't seem so confident now; no-one had shattered one of his nigh-impenetrable shields before. Tension was rising between the conflicting pair, neither willing to strike, but both knowing someone had to. A subtle change in the atmosphere of this place indicated to Ichigo that the Superior was… afraid. With renewed energy and all doubt banished from his mind he went in to stab at the man's stomach, but as he raised his shield he suddenly changed course and swung his Zanpakuto into the Superior's back, sending him flying into the skyscraper that towered ominously above them, it's peak illuminated by the dim light of the heart-shaped moon suspended in the charcoal sky. He recovered quickly and launched a counter-offensive, the crimson blades coming at him from nowhere. Because of their ethereal quality they were able to be blocked by the massive sword wielded by Ichigo, the returned energy bouncing away, piercing the night before they vanished. A half growl, half laugh escaped the creepy man, empty anger coming across in the deep voice as the Zanpakuto left a large gouge in him arm and side. Why he was laughing was a complete mystery to Ichigo, but there was something not right about it, he couldn't quite place it though. Whatever it was it put him on edge. Sinister echoes of the laugh resounded as the Superior vanished without another word through a swirling portal of darkness, leaving through it before Ichigo had even got the answers he needed. A high pitched whistling sound alerted Ichigo to the rapid slash behind him. He whirled to block the attack, but was too slow. Pain exploded in his head…_

Ichigo awoke in a cold sweat, terrified shivers racking his tense body. _It was just a dream. It had to have been a dream,_ Ichigo thought to himself. The cloud from the day still hadn't cleared and the moon was obscured from sight. A soft drizzle of rain was the only sound in the dark room apart from Ichigo's hard breathing. Slowly, he sat up, almost afraid of what happened in the dream. Or was it a dream? A scattered memory is like a far off dream. And a far off dream is like a scattered memory. If that is true, then what is the difference? He ran a pale hand through his damp hair, attempting to clear his head. _It was so real…_ Once he sat up he set his hand down, and touched something wet on his bed. Knowing what he was going to find he reluctantly lifted his hand. Blood. His blood. _It can't have been real. Could it?_ His soul had been in a different world while he slept… so strange… How could that even be possible? Ichigo walked down the stairs slowly, the pain of the gash real, to get some bandages for it. He couldn't be bothered going to see Urahara at this time of the night. Anyway, it wasn't _that_ bad. He had offered Riku a place to stay for the night: on his couch, so when he got down the stairs he expected to see Riku, but he wasn't there. A deep panic began to set in. _Why would he go?_ Here was safe, as safe Karakura Town ever was with all of the Hollows sneaking around… _No! He's out there all alone and he has no idea how to deal with Hollows! Last time it was different, something had changed it and it was tuned into his world, enabling him to defeat it, but all alone with no experience? He's got a death wish._ He dashed up the stairs again, his wound totally forgotten as his bare feet thudded on the floor carelessly. As soon as he reached his room he threw aside the door to Rukia's cupboard and shook her awake, much to her displeasure and annoyance. "What are you doing at this time of the night?" she whisper-shouted, unwilling to wake the other residents as rudely as she was woken, "You're insane! You'll get caught!"

Ichigo shook his head furiously, "It doesn't matter! Riku's missing," he replied in the same harsh tone. Rukia's eyes widened, an expression of shock twisting on her features, while facepalming in what could almost be anger. "He's insane; he'll be killed by the Hollows! I told him about the dangers of the Hollows, but I don't think he really got it if he ran off like this!" Without hesitation they leapt out the window, rolling when they hit the ground to regain their balance and sprinting into the night with no idea where to find Riku, but they ran all the same.

…/… …/…

"Not like this… not yet…" Riku panted out after another brutal blow from the Hollow standing before him. He had no energy left to cast cure on himself to get another shot. The only thing left to do was wait for the final blow. Grating hisses of triumph declared that the Hollows had beaten him. He was coughing up blood and more than one of his bones were broken. A group had attacked him out of nowhere in the dark alley he was walking through to find _somewhere_ that he could think clearly without the nagging pressure in his mind. According to Rukia they never attacked in groups, but she also said that they were attracted to high levels of spirit energy. Which supposedly he had loads of. The beautiful moon was hidden by a blanket of clouds, leaving him to die in the darkness. _How… ironic that I should die in the dark…_ There was nothing anyone could do, it was his choice to go alone and now he was paying for it and no-one knew where he was. He didn't even see the Hollows that had killed him, the blindfold prevented that, but he knew they were there. He knew what they looked like. Way to the Dawn was several metres away, knocked out of his hand by a vicious slash that he tried to block. His breath was coming in ragged gasps, and blood oozed from pretty much everywhere. The Hollows just stood there, waiting, watching for the moment of death that they had caused. A wall of white masks was the only audience to see him go. Suddenly white-hot needles of pain gripped him from all sides, the lower Hollows taunting him by slashing at everything of him they could find, taking advantage of his inability to do anything. Growls and hisses of glee were the only sound as more blood pooled around him, the scent driving the creatures wild. Riku looked up sightlessly to face the final blow with dignity, although he was groaning in pain and convulsing uncontrollably. That just made death come quicker. The claws of the monster caught his throat, slashing it, but not quite tearing it out. A tortured scream that faded into a choked gurgle pierced the cold night as the last of Riku's strength faded and his turquoise eyes slid shut.

.../… …/…

The scream of pure agony shattered the peace of the night somewhere to the left of Ichigo as he and Rukia entered the darker part of town. Without a word they rounded a corner, afraid of what they would see. In a dark alley there was a motionless body, drenched in a pool of its own blood, the silver hair flecked with crimson.

"AAARRRG! NO!" Ichigo yelled in helpless anger, the sight of Riku's mangled body sparking fury in a way that only failure to protect could bring. Gasping beside the corpse was Riku's soul no doubt terrified at the sight of his own dead body. Despite the fact that Riku's soul by some miracle hadn't been taken by the Hollows, the burning rage that someone had died and he could have stopped it remained. Ichigo's angry yell caused Riku to turn, the Chain of Fate clinking softly with the movement. He was shivering, and in shock but seemingly also in pain. Whether it was the memory of the pain that was there when he died or something more sinister was still a mystery, but one thing was certain: Rukia and Ichigo needed to get him to Urahara fast.

"What happened!" Riku demanded, confusion rather than anger in his voice, "And why am I dead there?" Indicating to his own corpse.

"Well… you died," Rukia said bluntly, getting straight to the point without any sugar-coating, "You have to come with us now, I don't think we should send you to the Soul Society yet. If at all." _He's from another world! He can't be seen in the Soul Society. I don't think that they would take it very well… _Riku looked down, coming to terms with the news.

"Okay, I'll follow you," he replied, not really having any other choice but to accept, not knowing what to do now that he was dead. He followed Rukia and Ichigo in silence, an awkward silence that hung thick in the air, awkward because he was dead and following two people he barely knew to somewhere he didn't know. After about five minutes he doubled over in pain, agony searing his chest. It was furious torture like nothing he had ever known, but he imagined that having his heart torn out by Heartless would be something similar.

"Oh no. Please not yet!" Ichigo said, worried hoping against hope that it wasn't what he thought it was, "The Chain of Fate! It's already beginning to corrode!" Sure enough when Rukia took a closer look the links of the chain were eating themselves, causing the extreme agony that Riku was feeling. "We don't have the choice to send him to the Soul Society, so there is only one thing we can do," Ichigo said to Rukia, seeing understanding in her eyes. Together they half led, half carried Riku to Urahara's shop, not caring that to any late–night spectators would only see two people, holding onto something they couldn't see. When they arrived, Ichigo practically bashed down the door to get Urahara's attention. The somewhat skinny man opened the door annoyed that they would come and do whatever they were doing at such a late hour, but his jaw dropped when he saw who they were holding.

"Get him inside," was all that Urahara said. His assistants were elsewhere, so the shop was empty apart from them. Rukia carefully laid Riku down on the ground for Urahara to examine him, knowing that it was safe to show him. With a practiced eye he evaluated the teen's soul, Riku shivering in agony and not even noticing the man looking at him.

"Well?" Ichigo asked, impatient to get answers. Urahara looked at him, a very serious expression on his face.

"This boy has little time before he becomes a Hollow, so you have two options," he replied, "You can just let him turn into a Hollow, or you can allow him to take the trial in the Shattered Shaft."

The first was not truly an option for Rukia and Ichigo; no soul could be willingly allowed to turn into a Hollow. But Ichigo could remember the pain he suffered in the Shattered Shaft, but it was the only way to even have a remote chance of surviving. "We'll take option two," Rukia stated, her voice stoically emotionless.

Nodding slowly he used one of his many trapdoors to his underground training area, right under Riku, so he fell and landed none too softly on the dirt. Mr Hat-and-Clogs followed, alighting with the grace of a cat on the hard ground.

"What was that for!" Riku growled angrily as he brushed the dirt from his coat, staring sightlessly into Urahara's grey eyes. The Chain had completed the first stage of the Encroachment, but they relief was only temporary, and next cycle of agony would be worse than the last. Urahara briefly explained the situation, shortening the usually long speech to a few sentences. Leading Riku, he walked to the side of the Shattered Shaft and without warning pushed Riku into it.

"You have less than three days to get out of this pit," Urahara called down to a very irate Riku, slightly amused at the emotional response from Riku, "If not you'll be worse than dead. You'll become a Hollow, killing mindlessly."

_And how exactly do you expect me to do that?_ Riku thought furiously. Being the arrogant boy that he was he didn't actually say that, instead, "Yeah, right," was the response that Kisuke received from his high vantage point. _You're more insane than Sora if you think that it's actually _possible_ to climb out of here when I can't even _see_ the walls of this place. Anyway my hands are tie-_ his thoughts were interrupted by a violent explosion of pain lanced through his body, worse than the last unreasonable outburst. Riku couldn't move, could barely think past the mind-numbing fury that oriented itself in his chest. _What's happening! Where did all this pain come from?_ No mysterious ethereal voice answered him, but what could have been a voice echoed in his deep thoughts that rarely surfaced. Because they were buried on purpose.

The minutes that ticked by fused into hours which rapidly gave way the third day. All that time Urahara never left the edge of the shaft, always watching Riku for the thing that was the reason for shoving him down there in the first place. Occasionally a pained groan or rapid gasps for breath could just be heard from Kisuke's location, but the agonized scream that came on the third day could be heard clearly even by the anxious Soul Reapers above the massive arena. Peering worriedly down into the dark depths of the shaft he saw Riku screaming his pain to the sky as the last links of the chain began to devour themselves in the final stage of corrosion. _This is it… does he have the strength to face what lies in his inner world?_ The hole typical of a Hollow began to tear itself open as the final links vanished; having consumed everything they were able to destroy. The ominous white fluid began to pour out of all the openings in Riku's face, almost like a tidal wave of tears. _This is what happened to Ichigo…_ The white substance began to form into the mask all Hollows donned, a bleached thing hiding the truth. _This could be interesting…_

…/… …/…

"I know this place…" Riku whispered to himself, looking around. The scent of darkness clung to the place like only one world ever could, the place where the darkness had taken its first claim on Riku's heart. "Hollow Bastion." The empty world that was the once-beautiful Radiant Garden that so many had called home, Kairi included. In the lonely chapel of the abandoned castle a deep voice that Riku knew only all too well called to him.

"Hello, Riku. Welcome back to the darkness!"

_No, it can't be! It just can't!_ Riku slowly pulled a hand up to his face, removing the blindfold to reveal horrified aqua eyes, staring into the amber gaze of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness.

"You look afraid. I thought that you weren't afraid of the darkness, but it seems that you still hide from me."

"I'm not afraid of the darkness. I'm just wary of what it hides," Riku said defiantly, not willing to submit to the Heartless that once held him at a whim.

"Hm. You must do better than that if you are to avoid repeating the crimes of the past. As we speak the mask of the Hollows is forming on your face. You must find the shadow that holds the answer…"

_What's that supposed to mean?_

"It lies within the chapel of darkness, but if the world crumbles around us before you find it there is no escaping your fate!"

_Find it in a single shadow, hidden in the chapel of darkness? Impossible… unless…_

Riku began searching the shadows, but reluctantly let darkness guide his path. _I can't let myself become a Hollow!_ Keeping the darkness out of his heart had been his objective for so long that the dark was threatening to take back what was once its property.

"Darkness is the only thing that can save you, Riku…"

Feeling his way blindly through the shadows he began to feel rubble more and more often as the castle started to crack, letting in tangible darkness rather than light from beyond. It was so close, the thing that would save the worlds from the Hollow he would become…

…/… …/…

_I must wait a little longer! _Urahara thought, watching as the mask grew nearer and nearer to completion, marking the end of Riku and the birth of a Hollow if it managed to finalise its grasp if Riku didn't find his Zanpakuto in his inner world. All the while the screaming never stopped, the silver-haired boy unable to keep the pain away forever. Leaping lightly to the floor of the massive shaft he stood in front of Riku, his grey eyes holding pity for the pain he must have been going through. A massive shockwave exploded from Riku as the mask finished forming; sending Kisuke flying into the wall. _So, the strength was not enough to hold the emptiness at bay._ Drawing his Zanpakuto, Benihime, ready to strike at the Hollow that he was sure he would find when the dust cleared. Instead, as the haze settled he found the boy with silver hair wearing his black coat with his back turned to him, the strangest Zanpakuto he had ever seen in Riku's grasp. The blade was black as a starless night, the darkness radiating from it almost visible. It seemed to have a cross guard that shifted and changed, swirling without anything to give it movement, but the strangest of all was the long ribbon attached to the hilt that was a pure white that glowed, binding the apparent darkness at its source. _What would be the name of such a strange blade?_

As if hearing the thoughts of Kisuke he replied in a whisper, "Ansem, Seeker of Darkness."

A/N: YES! I've finally killed Riku and given him his Zanpakuto. What of Way to the Dawn you might ask? Well, that will still be important. Very important…


	5. Second Soul: Kaku sa re ta Hikari

A/N: This is officially my favourite fic to write, and I will officially put Mew X on hold soon. When I can actually be bothered. Meh. All well, this fic is more fun lately and Keyblade to the Max still needs a burst of inspiration to kick start it. Sorry if this is depressing, but I love depressing stuff.

Chapter 5: Second Soul, Kaku sa re ta hikari

_Why did this have to happen? Why Ansem?_ Riku looked down at the blade in his hand, a strange mix of hatred and longing swirling in his confused heart. It was like one of the nightmares when Ansem wasn't gone. The only thing that was not of the dark was the glowing ribbon of light that bound the hilt and trailed softly to the ground. Kisuke's grey eyes stared at the back of Riku's head, waiting for the teen to say something else, but Riku was… not angry, but strangely sorrowful, almost afraid of the dark Zanpakuto that he held, almost as if he knew his Zanpakuto already and something terrible had happened.

"That's a strange name," Urahara said, breaking the silence, hoping for some answers. _What kind of blade has a name like that? I think that I should be wary of that weapon…_ Riku turned to face him, his features not betraying an ounce of what he felt inside, the storm within his heart staying hidden. _A strange name for a strange blade. The length of light could not be one with the blade, they are as different a day and night, but what if the ribbon is its own soul?_ The turquoise of Riku's eyes were hidden, but even with the black band hiding the gaze of the boy the depths of what he had found were evident. The subtle arrogance seemed to have been replaced by silence, memories that should have been forgotten had returned, and the truth was a thing of horror.

"Would you believe me, if I said my Zanpakuto was a Hollow?" Riku asked, "If I said my Zanpakuto was a horror your world has never seen?" Riku's hand tightened its grip on the sword, a shadow of fear, a memory of terror finding its home in Riku's heart. _It's true; my blade is a Heartless, a hollow, unfeeling monster. Is that what I'm to become?_

"Is that even possible?" Kisuke replied, unsure of what Riku meant by the statement, "I suppose I would. You seem afraid of the weapon. Is there something that terrible about the soul living in your inner world?" _Maybe there is…_ Memories are buried for reasons, bound in chains of oblivion until the key is made to break the lock.

"About a year ago I did some horrible things. I gave into the darkness in my heart, but it wasn't my darkness. It was a Heartless named Xehanort; but he stole the name of Ansem the Wise. Ansem held me at a whim, using me, and I nearly killed my best friend. That monster is my Zanpakuto." The words were barely audible, but every single sound held fragments of sorrow. "Am I to become that monster again?"

_Poor kid. How did his life get so messed up?_ Thoughts were startled birds darting around his mind when Ichigo called down to them, "You still alive?" The explosion and screams had brought his attention and he had rushed down as quickly as he could, worried that something truly terrible may have happened. "What the hell happened down there?"

_What if Riku became a Hollow?_ Ichigo thought reluctantly, not willing to admit the possibility

"He's fine, on the outside at least," Kisuke called up in reply, worry and fear lacing his tone.

Fear in Urahara's voice sent shivers down Ichigo's spine. He didn't know him to be afraid of anything as petty as a Hollow, or even the challenge of another Soul Reaper, so the lack of indifference created a deep unsettling terror within Ichigo. Feeling the sudden increase in reiatsu Rukia had accompanied him to the edge of the pit, because that outburst meant one of two things: the birth of a Hollow or Riku's success in the Shattered Shaft.

Once Riku and Urahara had made their way out of the dark depths (No, not in Hollow Bastion, just a way of describing the Shattered Shaft) they recounted the happenings of the past three days and answered the frequent questions that were asked about Riku's Zanpakuto, the evil blade that was the cause of Riku entering the darkness. But that still left the question of the light that was tied around the hilt of the weapon.

"Ichigo, do you have any ideas on why that light is there?" Kisuke asked Ichigo, hoping that as he knew Riku he would have an idea as to what the brightness was and how it could have gotten there.

"Well, if what Riku said is true then maybe Ansem isn't his true Zanpakuto, so maybe there is another spirit in his inner world that was overcome by Ansem when he took over Riku," he replied, feeling rather proud of the reply and actually believing it to possibly be true.

_Can you hear me Riku?_

"Who said that?" Riku asked, confused at the voice that he had heard, looking around for the source.

Ichigo, Rukia and Kisuke just stared at him, the same thought crossing their minds, _Ichigo might be right! The mention of the second spirit gave it the strength to contact Riku!_ "We didn't hear anything," Rukia said, hope flaring in her voice.

_Riku, can't you hear me calling for you?_

"Okay, someone's definitely trying to tell me something."

A silence filled the area, a light breeze tugging at their hair and clothes. The dust that coated everything in the underground arena stirred in the gentle wind, the air carrying the motes to a new location with every gust. The sparse vegetation that grew in clumps were splashes of bright green in a sea of tan dirt.

_Please! Hear my voice!_

The feminine voice sounded pained, tortured and strained, as if it had come off worse in a fight and now had to struggle to even move. She sounded young, which just made her pain even more horrendous and heinous. _Who are you? _ Riku thought, trying as best as he could to direct the thoughts to the voice. Without warning he was taken from the real world and into a realm that looked shattered and broken, drops of blood scattered throughout the cold place. It was like the palace of a lost king, fragments of white marble strewn on the grey, dusty ground with chinks in them that reeked of darkness.

"Where are you!" Riku called into the storm that raged through the broken world, rain lashing his face and thunder splitting the silence with loud, animalistic growls and roars.

"I am here Riku," came the faint voice from behind a massive slab of rock, almost a weak echo of what should be. Shoving aside the pebbles and rubble in the way, he made his way towards the faded sound, heedless of the cuts and grazes that the wreckage gave him as he slowly progressed. A howling gale tore at his blindfold, the black fabric whipping in the squall. There was no safety in this forgotten land, no refuge from the black maelstrom that shrouded the sky in a dark blanket. As soon as Riku got to her location he dropped to his knees and lifted his blindfold to see her, but what he saw shocked him, before him was a girl, probably about twelve years old, with dried blood caking her white hair, blood in the snow. She wore armour that was dented and smashed in several places and a crushed helmet lay on the ground where it had fallen. The armour was a shimmering white, but was smeared with grime and darkness. It had silver gauntlets and boots that were dull and tarnished in many places and scratches marred its surface. Her grey eyes were dull and shadowed, and tears seemed to be welling in them, tears of pain and sorrow. Riku picked up her hand and held it in a comforting gesture, not even knowing why he was doing this for the strange female.

"Thank-you," she whispered, her dull grey eyes shifting slightly to look Riku in the face, the strength in her voice failing her as the last words dissolved into a weak cough, which brought blood with it, the red liquid stark against her pale lips.

"Whoa, take it easy," Riku said soothingly, hoping to give some security to the injured girl that looked as if she was barely clinging to life, "Before I tell you not to say anything I need to know your name," he continued.

"My name… is Kaku sa re ta Hikari" she gasped out before her eyes slid shut in a faint due to weakness. With a sickening jolt Riku was jerked back into reality…

…/… …/…

Riku slumped on the rock he was sitting on, his hidden eyes closed and his body limp.

"Ah, so now we see his true Zanpakuto arise," Urahara said thoughtfully, figuring that Riku passed out because once again he was being forced into his inner world. Hours slipped by unnoticed by the people present, awaiting Riku's awakening.

"So, what do you reckon is happening in there?" Ichigo asked Rukia, making idle small talk to pass time, his permanent scowl loosening a bit.

"I don't know, but it could be as Urahara said and he is being contacted by his true Zanpakuto spirit. I just hope of that is true that the other spirit is okay…" Rukia was cut off by Riku sudden gasping as he sat bolt upright, his face shiny with beads of sweat. After his rapid breathing slowed to a reasonable pace he brought a black-gloved hand to his pounding head, moaning, "Why her?" in a barely audible whisper.

"Why who?" asked Rukia curiously, her violet eyes shining with interest.

A/N: And this marks the end of another chapter. Just so you guys know, Kaku sa re ta Hikari means Hidden Light in Japanese. If it's wrong, blame Google Translate. Next chapter will contain what became of Way to the Dawn! Thanks for reading, press the button seen below and post your reviews and all the other stuff…

-X


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